identity as a communicator and is therefore constructed to a large extent by
the perception of the other party in the interaction’ (Human, 1996).
To effectively manage across cultures in emerging countries, it is perhaps
necessary to have an awareness of the kinds of stereotypes that one is working
with, in order to overcome some of the negatives and focus on the positive
aspects of cross-cultural working: to see multiculturalism as a positive aspect
whereby different stakeholders from different cultural perspectives can make a
variety of contributions, and where this input is not just simply desirable, it is
necessary for the realization of economic and social prosperity. A starting point
in this evolution is for individuals to have a high awareness of their own cul-
tural background, its values, and the contribution that their values, perceptions
and expectations can make.
One of the major problems with the maximalist approach described above
is that concepts such as those developed by Hofstede (1980) may describe
national culture in a very general way, but they do not provide enough detail
and sensitivity to describe the many different cultures represented in many
African societies, and indeed the numerous cultures in other regions such as
the Indian sub-continent. They also do not provide the means for describing
the manifestations of those cultures in corporate life. For example, there has
been much debate around the concept of collectivism: that it is target specific
and that its influence on corporate life may vary considerably among countries
(e.g. Hui, 1990), let alone within culturally heterogeneous countries such as
South Africa. More specific information is needed on the way people feel about
their own culture, and on the way they feel about others’ cultures. This
approach may also give rise to negative views of the value of one’s culture
among black Africans who have acquired such views through the legacy of
apartheid in South Africa, or (in common with the educated elite in other
African and emerging countries) through receiving a Western or Westernized
education that has had the effect of downgrading indigenous culture in rela-
tion to Western culture. In a multicultural context, the lack of understanding
and articulation of the nature and influence of one’s culture may be a serious
stumbling block to the building of synergies from cultural diversity.
7 CONCLUSIONS
In this chapter we started by looking at HRM in developing countries, and ended
by considering people management and development in emerging countries.
This journey required a reassessment of the way management systems are per-
ceived in the so-called developing countries, and showed that current literature
focuses predominantly on post-colonial systems within a developing–developed
world paradigm. By positioning our understanding within a multicultural
HRM in Developing Countries 243